Last Updated on 27 January 2026 by Massimo M.
The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators
For all things there is an origin point and musical genres are no exception even if, it must be said, the origin of certain currents is not always easily identifiable.
There is a definite point of origin for 1960s psychedelic rock, at least as far as the birth of the very definition of psychedelic rock is concerned. This origin is the release in 1966 of the album The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators in which, for the first time, the term psychedelic is used to define the music contained in vinyl records.
The 13th Floor Elevators, active between 1965 and 1969, released four albums but The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators remains one of the most interesting and engaging albums of the lysergic era being, in fact, the starting point of the entire psychedelic musical movement. Within this album, the band rattles off a series of acid ballads filled with sound reverbs and the use of the electric jug obsessively played by Tommy Hall, the soul of the group.
From the point of view of the real sounds, what was recorded by the Californian band is substantially a raw R&B, certainly influenced by the groups of the so-called British Invasion, such as the Kinks and the Yardbirds, and by the reinterpretation of black music. Basically we are faced with garage rock ante litteram. In disco was released in stereo format in August 1966 by the label
International Artists, catalog number IA-LP-1. The mono version is also published with the same catalog number. In the first printings the catalog number was printed on the cover, in the following ones it was placed on the back cover.
Tracklist
Lato A
You’re Gonna Miss Me – 2:24 (Roky Erickson)
Roller Coaster – 5:00 (Tommy Hall, Roky Erickson)
Splash I (Now I’m Home) – 3:50 (Clementine Hall, Roky Erickson)
Reverberation (Doubt) – 2:46 (Tommy Hall, Stacy Sutherland, Roky Erickson)
Don’t Fall Down – 3:00 (Tommy Hall, Roky Erickson)
Lato B
Fire Engine – 3:22 (Tommy Hall, Stacy Sutherland, Roky Erickson)
Thru the Rhythm – 3:05 (Tommy Hall, Stacy Sutherland)
You Don’t Know – 2:38 (John St. Powell)
Kingdom of Heaven – 3:05 (John St. Powell)
Monkey Island – 2:38 (John St. Powell)
Tried to Hide – 2:43 (Tommy Hall, Stacy Sutherland)
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Leave a Reply